The cheese ball gets an Easter makeover

Diana Johnson is a professional recipe developer, food photographer, freelance writer and cooking instructor. She's also a mother who believes that kids can love healthy food, and that no child should have to experience food insecurity. ...

And it's full of carrot too

Kids and Easter Bunnies agree, it's not Easter without carrots. This cute cheese ball fits the bill — it's even made with real carrots.

Cheese balls are one of the easiest party appetizers you can make. They can be prepared hours or even days in advance, and can feed a lot of people for very little time or money. I like to make them even more festive by shaping them into something that goes with the party theme. For Easter, I'll be serving this cute carrot cheese ball, which is a cheerful orange thanks to the grated carrots and paprika.

To make the cheese ball, start by letting your cream cheese sit out for about an hour to get nice and soft. Grate a couple carrots and 1 cup of yellow cheddar. (I really like Tillamook's sharp cheddar.)

Use your hands to mix all the ingredients in a large bowl.

Shape the cheese ball into a long, rounded wedge, and place it on a serving platter. Use a table knife to draw lines in the cheese.

Now use your hands to pat the cheese ball, smoothing out the lines so they look a little more natural.

Place sprigs of fresh dill into the top of your carrot.

You can mix your cheese ball up to four days in advance. Just keep it sealed in plastic in the refrigerator. Wait until serving day to add the dill to keep it from wilting, and serve with crackers, bread or crudités.

Easter carrot cheese ball recipe

Serves 20

Ingredients:

2 (8 ounce) bricks cream cheese, softened

1 cup finely shredded cheddar

2 carrots, finely grated

2 teaspoons paprika

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

6-10 sprigs dill

Directions:

In a large bowl, knead together the cream cheese, cheddar, carrots, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.

Shape the cheese ball into a long, rounded wedge, and place it on a platter.

Use a knife to score lines along the length of the "carrot," and then use your fingers to pat and smooth the lines for a more natural look.

Place several sprigs of dill in the top end of the cheese ball until it looks like a carrot.